Dad got a pack! We had a great time inspecting it during this podcast episode.

Make: Gregory

Model: Baltero 65

Color: Prussian Blue

Size: Medium

Capacity: 67 Liters (3,966 Cubic Inches)

Weight: 5 lbs, 10 oz

He explains that he chose the blue only because he knew my pack was grey, and getting them confused on the trail might have been a possibility. After being fitted (professionally, by Colin), he kept coming back to the Gregory as the one he felt most comfortable in. Clearly, design aesthetics played a key role as well, as the Gregory is a well-rounded, fully-functional pack, and all of the pockets and storage compartments held considerable appeal and ultimately gave sway to his decision. The shoulder harness construction was narrower, and curved more fittingly to his body, which he points out made an impression, too. All in all, the most important factor in his decision was the knowledgeable help he received from Colin (who is himself hiking the AT, thru-hiking, that is, and departing next week). Colin also added 30 lbs of sand to the pack, so dad could get a feel for carrying a load. Dad made it clear that at other stores he visited, the salespeople merely pointed to the packs and told him to try on whichever he felt suited his needs, and when he was ready to buy, they'd be waiting for him at the cash register. It's an over-simplification, but considering the knowledge deficit that most sales people have regarding proper fitting of backpacks, they're generally not much help anyway. I have always gravitated to Fin & Feather in Iowa City for their excellent camping department, and it seems dad is now in full agreement with me that F&N is the best store we have in our area. Up in Minneapolis, REI is great! There is also an Active Endeavors (or used to be) in Des Moines, and they were always good, too. Last point on dad's pack--and this again proves Colin's value as a pack fitting expert--is that the hip belt was upgraded to a Large to more properly fit dad's manly physique. I feel sure that had he went and bought the Gregory Baltero from another store, or online to save money, he would have ended up with both a medium pack, and the medium hip belt included by default, which would have been an improper fit. So Colin earned respect!

With tax, dad spent $350.

My backpack is the Mystery Ranch Glacier, and the specs are very similar to dad's, except mine is 4,200 CI and weighs in at 6 lbs, 10 oz.  Mine is grey, but as I told dad, a blue option was not available.

We talked a lot about hiking, and both of us have started! We lay plans to hike with each other at least one day a week until August. Mid- to late-August seems our likely target for hiking the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Forest.

We talk about the following other topics:

Muscle beach studs

The new Sea Happy intro plug

Making sand bag weights

The electronic food scale

How not to succeed in weighing stuff

How much dad weighs in medieval "stones"

The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club maps I ordered

Dad's new poop trowel

Stopping dad's loud nose breathing

Thru, Section, and Circuit hiking in Shenandoah

Thru-Hiker "Season" at Shenandoah is June

Shenandoah is a dry mountain top

So where do we find water?

Dad got his new AWOL guide

Verifying our training regimen with mom

More over-thinking our training regimen

Trail etiquette with dogs

Mooning anti-dog-lovers on the trail

Camping at Cat's Back

Hiking Hog Barn Road and camping at West Pond

Woofy and the Fonz run wild

11 o'clock backpack hike this Saturday

Were Bryson and Katz suffering?

Are we going to suffer?

Or stay in luxurious Shenandoah shelters?

Beef Strokin'off

Walking staffs and cork grips

Possibility of bump up trip to May

No

August or bust

How to eat whatever's in front of you

Benefits of caloric restriction

Meds to reduce inflammation

How to cure yourself of wanting cream pies

Pizza Ranch and McDonald's

McDonald's landfill trash

Plan for next week

In episode 004, dad and I discuss the following list of AT videos, which we gathered and watched in an effort to combat our total ignorance about what's involved with hiking the Appalachian Trail. I posted my list in real-time (as I found them), and asked dad to email me his list for posting as well (as he found them). We agreed to limit our individual choices to the 5 most helpful videos we felt added to our knowledge at this particular time--which is unquestionably the neophyte's level of hardly knowing anything. We ended up with 10 videos of great value to us.

2012-2013 The AT Guide "AWOL" 2013 Appalachian Trail thru-Hikers,Data Book, 2013 Companion Guide

Faces of the Appalachian Trail

2012 SEPT AT Hike: Fontana To Clingmans

On a Thru-Hike with a dog - Appalachian Trail 2010

Appalachian Trail Light Weight Gear Tips: What I used and what I dumped

Sawyer Mini Vs Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter System

Trail Tested: The Sawyer Mini Filter Review

Appalachian Trail Gear Video 2013

Backpacking Gear List 2013

Wilderness EDC: 30lbs of lightweight stuff

Although we only mentioned his videos briefly, Sintax 77 provided a much needed look at the back-country terrain for both areas of the AT dad and I are considering. In this episode, it seems pretty clear that we've already decided on Shenandoah--largely due to Bill Bryson's suggestion that it was more favorable hiking. I asked dad to watch both of Sintax77's videos below before we made our final decision. Either way, I will be ordering detailed maps of both areas, and hopefully they will arrive before next Wednesday's man-night meeting.

Hiking Great Smoky Mountains Video by Sintax77

Hiking Shenandoah National Park Video by Sintax77

Maps (only somewhat useful for visualizing the general area):

These are decent AT maps for initial planning only - zoomable and printable to one sheet of standard paper

 Shenandoah National Park Links:

NPS Website

What I'm typing right now should have been at the top of this post. Very simply, here's a list of interesting topics we discuss in this episode--beyond the 10 videos (which we had only talked about briefly by the time the recording was all said and done). Here's a bullet list, in about the order the topics are discussed:

Bear attacks in Shenandoah National Park, finding bear scat with bear bells included

(Computer question: What causes a new laptop to hang for 8 minutes as "Page Unresponsive" when all you're trying to do is type words? And how do I deal with my strong desire to spike this damn thing and revert to paper and pencil?)

The hows and whys of not dripping barbecue sauce on your shirt in bear country

How much weight will we carry, how much weight will we lose (fat), how many miles we'll likely walk per day, how many hours per day

Great Smoky Mountains area will be hotter, more humid, and wetter...and closer to Deliverance land

How will we navigate trails in full dark if necessary, talk about head lamps

Sintax77 found black bear fur and saw wild boar

Discuss various type of hats

How many days will we go, probably 7-10 days

We will get more detailed maps of both areas

When are we going? We decided we must look at historical temperatures and other weather data before committing to dates

We discussed gear

How big of a pack depends on items needed and how long gone

Dad bought a Sterno stove, and we discussed briefly

Talked about typical main entree...noodles

I showed him my Mystery Ranch pack

Do we share a tent?

A pack must fit you well, and fitting the pack is important. I recommended dad visit the dudes at Fin and Feather

Practice hikes at Yellow River to test gear

Talk at length about walking staffs and the recommendations of Colin Fletcher

More discussion of Colin Fletcher's philosophies on the benefits of walking and hiking

What are swooshy pants

Discussed Katz getting lost by a creek and Bill Bryson asking him if he was ready to quit

And more...

P.S.

Friday,

Dad and I start this podcast episode (#003) with a bit of off-topic rambling about various subjects we find amusing and chat-worthy.

Then, at marker 22, we get to the meat of episode, specifically how best to avoid black bear attacks on the AT--what to do, what not to do, and so on. Mostly imaginings and vague ideas from the Don Quixote school of thought. Dad's initial idea is to strap a Bowie knife to the top of his rattan walking staff for fast, effective defense. I inform him that would be folly to the highest degree. Bear spray, I say, is the proper answer, and we discuss various techniques of deploying the pepper (if that's the main ingredient, which we doubt). I explained what I learned from a park ranger in Yellowstone, but dad says those are Grizzlies out west so the same combat tactics may not apply to the wild things roaming the Appalachian Trail.

In truth, neither of us really knows much as yet about the trail because we haven't done any research beyond reading the first few chapters of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, which is mainly a read for fun and inspiration. Some parts of our chat, though, include accurate information about how to avoid bear attacks in general, such as the use of bear bells strapped to your staff (for noise) and singing on the trail (for noise) and doing anything else you can think of to alert bears, cougars, etc., of your oncoming intrusion to their peaceful rooting and berry foraging. It is possible, however, according to Bryson, that this may have the opposite effect in real world application, as many black bears have already gotten wise to the notion that singing humans bring delicious candy bars. So we commit to doing more research prior to the next episode, and coming to the cabin next week armed with better information.

Just two minutes before this episode ends, we decide to focus our adventure around Clingmans Dome in Tennessee--the highest point of elevation along the Appalachian Trail (6,700 feet). Once that decision was made, I said I'd get an official map of that section of the trail, which will help us dial in our trip and really get familiar with the area. Simply Googling "Clingmans Dome" turned up the website for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and from there I'll be able to read and read and read.

The first things I see on that website are the Smokies Trip Planner, the Map Store, and the Black Bear Warning and Information page.

On the bear page, the first thing I find is a Six Minute Video on what to do when you see a bear--(e.g. "talk to the bear"...?) I have just watched this video, and bear pepper spray may be carried by hikers in the park, but must be labeled as Bear Pepper Spray and contain between 1-2% of the active ingredient Capsaicin and related Capsaisinoids (whatever those are). The park ranger in the video reminds us to FIGHT BACK AGGRESSIVELY if attacked, so I guess a Bowie knife and/or brass knuckles are options to carry in addition to a jumbo canister of noxious chemical most of us have never heard of (but is commonly called bear pepper spray).

Additional Links:

http://www.wikitrail.org/features/view/at/25737/double-spring-gap-shelter

In our 2nd episode, dad and I talk about a variety of topics, including Rafting the Middle Fork River in Idaho (which starts at 35 minutes into the podcast). We begin the episode by patting ourselves on the back thoroughly regarding the overwhelming success of last week's launch--lots of positive feedback from listeners, enthusiastic approval by both iTunes and Stitcher radio (they seem to agree that our concept has value to the world), how I spanked 10,998 comment spammers for 25 bucks, and more. I updated dad on several things he didn't care about. He updated me on the fact that last fall he bought a Honda 250 motorcycle and hid it under a tarp beside the cabin, but I can't have it or ride it because it's his. We drank margaritas and told heroic stories about motorcycle riding, ditch jumping, and wheelies.

The meat of our episode begins at marker 35, where we execute a hard segue into the important business of planning our next trip. We start with an overview of our previously agreed two options: River Rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon and Hiking the Appalachian Trail. We discuss ideal dates for both trips, and figure out we have a logistical conflict.

I explain to dad that the best dates to raft the Middle Fork depend on your personal objectives. Do you seek fast thrills? Do you want a laid back float? The section of river in question is 100 miles long and there are 100 individual rapids between the put in at Boundary Creek Launch and the take out at Cache Bar. I hand dad my cool map of the river, which he sets aside without a glance. Here is the link to the map. Get it! It's awesome. It's one of the neatest maps in my vast collection. I educate him on cost, which depends on the outfitter. I told him I follow Mountain Travel Sobek, and their costs ranges from about $1500 to $2,500 (all said and done). 

JUNE is the best time to go, in my opinion! Why? Because I want the wildest ride and the fastest water. It's still class III and IV, and there are some rapids you'll need to walk around, but the risk of death is still small. June trips are only 5 days, simply because you're rafting the river faster.

JULY and AUGUST the river is lower and slowing down, and those trips are more leisurely, but still fun. Six days on the water from put in to take out.

Then I propose an alternative...

How about merging my family's Grand Canyon trip with a rafting day. The water will not be as white, but since I'm also planning to go with my wife and kids on vacation at the end of June, perhaps to the Grand Canyon would be the only workable choice for me to do a bit of rafting this year. (If I can't raft the Middle Fork in June, I'm less enthused about committing to doing it, but only because I may get just one chance at a Middle Fork trip and I want it to be wild!)

Moving on...

We end up deciding to focus our next few planning sessions on hiking the Appalachian Trail. It's a trip we both want to do, and it seems to work better for us given our other travel commitments. 

We joked briefly about which of us would get eaten first by a black bear, and we discussed our individual strategies for how we would outrun each other when chased.

That's about it.

Oh, yeah...

Some interesting talk about Kip Stone's love scenes in both Sea Turtles and Mountain Cabin, and how dad is a voyeuristic pervert who has re-read both of those romantic parts about 30 times each.

Then I cue the sign-off music for the world's listening pleasure!

Links:

USDA Forest Service: Floating the Middle Fork of the Salmon River

This episode (ABOVE) is an hour discourse between me and dad about the new podcast. When I walked into his cabin Monday morning with two microphones and a field recorder, he had no idea what I had in mind. But our first show turned out better than I could have hoped, which proves a truism most of us know - great minds think alike.

Since then, I've spent nearly 20 hours processing the audio, adding fantastic music to the beginning and end (both are so cool!), uploading the MP3 to my Libsyn media-hosting account, and setting up the infrastructure beneath this website's hood to make that little player button (ABOVE) feed the universe the 1st podcast of our new weekly series entitled "Ward's Adventure Travel Research & Trip Journal." For an extra dash of spice, I've added the more-than-apt sub-title "Critical Studies on Active Living and World Exploration."

The podcast has already been approved by iTunes (just start the podcast app on your iPhone or smart phone and search "Ward's Adventure Travel"). It should also be available on Stitcher Radio before the end of the day (or by the end of this weekend). The Stitcher app is the most popular alternative to Apple's podcast app, and I use both when listening to my favorite podcasts. Question: Have you ever listened to a podcast? It's highly addictive. That said, if you enjoy travel talk, or if you're just curious to know what dad and I (and sometimes honored guests) do at the riverfront cabin when the wine flows freely, please subscribe. Your positive comments on iTunes and/or Stitcher would be very helpful and greatly appreciated (thanks, mom!).

I'm keeping comments open on EpicFieldNotes.com (at the bottom of the post), so feel free to say whatever you want. Keep in mind, though, that spam is automatically filtered out, so classic chestnuts, like "Feeling flaccid? Try Viagra!", might not get through. Try posting that over on Rick Steves' blog. Have a great day!

Partial Show Transcript:

B - Okay, we're recording now. Will you hand me that yellow sheet that I showed you. Thank you. I am Bob Ward.

D - And I am dad Ward.

B - Dad Ward, Dave Ward. And we are starting the Ward's Adventure Travel Research and Trip Journal. This is a podcast that we're going to be doing. And I've just told dad about it, and we're going to discuss it and lay out our plan.

D - Okay...

B - Alright. So first of all, let's introduce ourselves. I am Bob Ward and I am an adventure travel writer and author. I am 43 years old. I am married with two children. My children are aged twelve--he's a boy--and ten--she's a girl.

D - And I am David Ward. I am up indeterminate age. I have just barely gotten grey hair, and I have five children, who sometimes all still act like children, but, by and large, they're pretty well grown up and on their own, with kids of their own, leaving me alone to die.

B - Yes...

D - And their mother also.

B - Alright. Well, the nice thing about dad is he's got an awesome cabin, which is our man-cave here, and we're going to use our man-cave for our weekly podcast. Is that agreeable to you?

D - So far...

B - Okay, so the idea here of Ward's Adventure Travel Research and Trip Journal is we're going to do a quarterly trip. An adventure trip. And we've done a couple of these in the past and they turn out great. Now what we're going to do is record our research as we go, and then we're going to do a trip journal, hopefully take the field recorder out during our trip and do some trip recording. You know, our impressions of the trip during the trip, and then when we get back we'll do a final wrap up of that trip. So...with that said, do you have anything that you want to...

D - If you were on a bad trip, would you describe it as a bad trip? Would you say, "This trip sucks,"...?

B - I would think. If you remember back to when we did our mule trip (we did a mule trip last year, or the year before, up in Colorado). And we had some negative experiences, such as being stranded,